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TKR Braunzie's Journey on "The Other Side"?

@Braunzie. You need to leave the West Coast more often! :heehee:
Ever heard of chiggers ( aka red bugs)? They are prolific in June /July! :spider:
Yes, we have all the other pesky summer bugs...mosquitos, gnats, spiders..etc..etc...
 
@Thesoutherncook - that's the plan once I'm able to retire in about 4 years!!!! :yes!: Nope, never heard of chiggers, but now I'm going to look them up and get more educated!!! :heehee:

Thanks for chiming in @PolarBear60 - helps me feel just a little bit less embarrassed!! :heehee:

So - went to PT yesterday and worked pretty hard on some new / more weight related exercises.. but not too hard.. Knee is a bit stiff this am, but it's stiff EVERY am.. Slept pretty well last night.. I'm finally able to start sleeping more on my sides!!! :yes!: It's not the same as pre-surgery for sure, but I at least feel like it's improving.

And so far.. haven't had any more back spasms!! :happydance:

Right after PT yesterday, I met up a work colleague for Happy Hour and had a really nice time catching up. (Only two more weeks before I have to go back to work. I feel so fortunate that my company allows this much time to recover! I'm definitely needing it!) By the time I got home though, I was pretty whooped, went to bed and watched some TV.

Looking forward to the weekend, as my husband and I are taking a couple days to go over the the Olympic Peninsula and look at the area / some properties. We are considering building a house and retiring there, but it's just one of a few locations we're thinking about. We have rented a small house that over looks the Straight of Juan De Fuca that also has a pond on the property. I'm hoping to be able to get some good photo ops.. - something I have REALLY missed since my knee has limited my mobility so much for so long. We'll be there Saturday and Sunday night, so I will be able to give an update on Monday.

A bit nervous to see how my new knee does..... I'll take a couple extra pillows and my instant ice packs... along with MUCH of my camera gear!!! (I'll at least be able to use it on the deck.) There is supposedly a "flat" trail down to the water.. Hopefully I'll feel steady enough to make the trek - and I'm SURE I can count on my hubby to help carry my camera bag! :) I'm trying not to get too excited.. Wish me luck!

Happy Friday.. and hopes for a good weekend for everyone! :yes:

Now.. to go research chiggers.. :loll:
 
@Braunzie. :rofsign:
Welcome to summer in the mtns! Chiggers are very aggravating!! And I attract them like bees to honey!
Your weekend sounds lovely! We retired to the mtns from Atlanta almost 11 yrs ago. Thankfully, my husband could take an early retirement while we were young enough to work on the house and travel. We've done lots of both! I'll be interested to see your photos! I am a watercolor " artist". I paint mostly flowers but am getting into house portraits and landscapes. So, I will entertain myself this weekend sitting on the deck in the gorgeous weather ( sunny and 77) and in my studio painting fall leaves!
Have a fun filled pain free weekend!
Hugs from the Deep South
Helen
 
@Thesoutherncook - Sounds like you are to chiggers the way I am to mosquitos.. They LOVE me! (Not always a good thing to be loved.. :sad:)

I don't have an artistic bone in my body.. hence, I resort to the use of a mechanical apparatus (camera) to "try" to capture some of God's great beauty.. My daughter #3 however, does have quite a bit of artistic ability (which she may have inherited from my mother - skipped a generation?), as she has done some very nice acrylic paintings. In fact, she just finished a rather large rooster painting that looks incredible! - I don't know HOW she does it! (For whatever reason, she was "inspired" to do a rooster... :heehee:)

Glad to hear you are having gorgeous weather. Isn't that so invigorating? Sounds like your weekend will be relaxing as well as productive and satisfying. You must also love cooking, based on your screen name :) ... any of that this weekend? I love cooking as well.. in case you haven't picked up on that ... :yes:
 
@Braunzie. My screen name comes from a former job as a cookbook editor! I write a cooking blog - although I've not posted on it in a while due to the surgery. Im not sure if it is ok to give the blog address here??? And have not figured out the PM yet... So, if you want recipes, etc, give me some guidance! Since I went to the apple orchard Tues, I'm cooking with apples! Made apple chips and German Apple "cake" so far.... Yes, I do love to cook and my DH LOVES to eat and gains not an ounce! :gaah:
 
@Thesoutherncook
To get to the Personal Messages, go to the top right of this, or any, page and click on/select the Inbox. That will take you to the PM page. At the top right of that page, there's a black box that says "Start a new Personal Message. Click on/select that, then go ahead and start a message. Just follow the instructions.
 
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10 weeks as of yesterday. Doesn't seem like much has changed in the last couple weeks.. other than I am now being able to sleep on my sides more.. (Thank goodness!!) :egypdance:

Went away for the weekend with my hubby to look at property in Sequim, WA - Had a really nice weekend together! We stayed at a house that overlooked the Straight of Juan De Fuca, with a lighthouse directly in front of us (away in the distance). There was also a pond on the property. BEAUTIFUL area!!! I took a lot of my camera equipment, thinking this would be an opportunity to do a bit of shooting of landscape and wildlife. Was able to do that somewhat off the deck of the house (but the birds were really too far away to do much in that area). I was disappointed to be reminded that my knee isn't quite where it needs to be to think more "camera" than "knee".. Wasn't really stable enough to go walking along the "flat" dirt. I told my husband I have a hard time believing I will ever be able to walk without THINKING about it again - or going up and down stairs like a "normal" person, or going faster than a snail. :sad: Time will tell.....

I could see people walking the path down along the water.. I was jealous and bummed.. But then, I have to remember I'm better than I was when I couldn't walk unassisted on flat ground, so that is something.

Spent a lot of time in the car - about 4 hours just on the way over, as we had quite a long wait for the ferry. Then we spent both days primarily driving around looking at different properties, then only 2 hours back yesterday (no ferry wait at all!) Knee was a bit stiff, and hurt more this am than it has. (I know you guys understand when I say, "this is getting SO old!!!" )

(We did run across a large herd of elk in our travels, grazing in an open field next to the road, so I got some shots of them from the truck. That was VERY cool!!) :yes!:

Had a follow up appointment with the Chiropractor today - feeling good and he says his adjustments have held well.. Happy about that! :yes:

Want to take it easy, but have PT later this afternoon. We'll see how that goes - then out to meet up with some friends for dinner tonight.

Counting down till I have to return to work a week from Thursday. I'm thinking this time is going to fly!

Hope everyone is having a good day today! :)
 
You are making quite good progress. You will get there. At least you were able to handle your camera equipment, which should have re-familiarized you with it.
 
@Braunzie. Sounds like you were in a beautiful place! I understand your feelings completely... I see others going and doing and I just want to hurry up and join them! We'll get there. We've come a loooooong way and we WILL get past this stage, too! :yes!: Before we know it, we'll be looking back at these days and will be so proud of ourselves and so thankful to be able to get around without pain. We just have to take one week ( or sometimes one DAY ) at the time. The best part of this site is that we have lots of friends to encourage each other! :loveshwr:
Hugs from the Deep South
 
Sounds like a good weekend. I'd say in a few months you'll be capturing snow scenes with your camera.
 
Sounds like a nice get a way. I'm at 9 weeks today. When you say your not stable, what do you mean ? I am just starting to walk a little without the cane and I feel the same way. I don't know if it's strength, fatigue, confidence... I have to go back to work in 3 weeks, and am a little worried I won't be "stable" enough.
 
@cpd599 - I think it's a bit of "all of the above".. Since I'm two weeks ahead of you, I can tell you I am MUCH better now walking on building flooring than I was two weeks ago. I can move around my house confidently, though still pretty slowly (relatively speaking, of course). - Though the first few steps after sitting for a while are a bit "cautious", stiff, and uneven. Even in the last week, going out in "public", I've gained confidence where I don't feel I need to take a crutch or a cane, as long as I know there are no steps without a rail and it's very even flooring.. (aka, cement, wood, carpet, tile, etc)

Interesting to note.. on the ferry yesterday, though we were on relatively calm water, I was definitely not as "stable" as I would feel on dry land.. There was a just a little bit of movement from the water and it really impacted my feeling of stability.. sigh.. I was kind of surprised....

I have more difficulty with dirt, sand, rocks, uneven grass...... even though a "regular' person would say unequivocally the ground is "flat" or "even".... I'm working on that!!! :yes:

I go back to work a week from Thursday.. and 2 weeks ago, I can say I would be saying exactly what your are saying now. At this point, however, I think I will do OK with walking and stability once I go back. I'm now wondering how I will be able to endure a 8+ hour day.... 5 days a week.. Time will tell!!! - Hope that helps? :wink:
 
@Braunzie. One thing I've noticed for me.... The less I think about the knee, the better I walk! Lol! Just last week I was watching my feet, now I just GO! Things change daily, don't they?? I've not walked outside around our house without my cane yet. We live on very uneven "mountainside" !

You probably said and I missed it, what type of work do you do?? Will it be physically strenuous?
 
@Thesoutherncook - yes, I think you're right. And the more familiar the location, the better as well. I know when I'm in my kitchen, focusing on cooking, I don't really think of my knee much. - I should spend more time cooking! :heehee:

It took me a while to feel comfortable walking outside without a cane or crutch, so I completely understand that.. especially if you are on a mountainside! I still use the crutch to help get outside, as I have a cement walkway with steps leading down to the driveway that doesn't have a rail on it. Going down even one step with no rail is unnerving ... don't even want to try it without unassisted yet.. UGH! Just don't want to fall! :flabber: (Call me chicken!)

My job is not physically strenuous. It's an office job, but the days can be very long. On top of that, the commute is just short of an hour. I anticipate it will take a bit of time to "get back into the swing of these"..
 
On the one day I worked on my gait in PT, they reminded me not to look at the ground in front of me but to the horizon in front. That, I thought, was an important point, and one I periodically remind myself about when I'm also checking my heel-toe stride. I want to avoid the "waddling" I was doing for a couple of years prior to surgery, and since my right leg is still "bad," I think the mental reminder is helpful.
 
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